At a scenic dock in Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Crissy Field, a tall, metallic pole stands out against the beautiful coastal view—it represents best estimates of sea level rise. The high end marker towers more than five feet above the heads of curious visitors, a startling, tangible reminder of the potential devastation climate change. The Golden Gate wayside installation was the first of its kind created by the National Park Service, so it comes as little surprise that the park is the future home to another inspiring focal point of climate change education: NatureBridge’s Climate Science Lab.

Bob Hansen joined Yosemite Institute in the very early years as assistant program manager. He soon became campus director and spent six years with YI, which would serve as the foundation for a career in nature organizations and park philanthropy. For Bob, the cornerstone of his time with YI was the lifelong friendships and relationships with Yosemite residents, especially the ones built during the season he became the Yosemite Campus Director and was tasked with hiring 12 new educators.

With the rise of anxiety and depression about young people today, social emotional learning (SEL) is also on the rise. SEL a holistic educational framework that focuses on building mental, emotional and interpersonal skills that lead to positive outcomes for students and the community as a whole. We spoke with National Director of Education Meg Jakubowski to learn more about NatureBridge’s unique role in furthering SEL.